Growing Pains
by gretlcascade
Summary: Wanda, Ian, Mel, And Jared have said goodbye to Burns and their crew. What happens when Wanda is suddenly attacked during a raid?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, this is my first fanfiction. I LOVE the Host, and I just started to write this. Review and tell me if you want to go on/any suggestions!! :)**

**Disclaimer: Seriously? You think I would be awesome enough to write the Host and own all the characters?!? Well... You're wrong... :(**

Burning

I was still in shock from yesterday, and I was pretty sure that everyone else was too. It was one thing to meet a new human, maybe even two or three. But it was a whole other thing to realize that there were over 80 humans left on earth. All my friends were elated by that fact, but I was focused on a different one. One that I was sure no one else could understand.

Wanda, the traitor of the souls, was not alone. Burns, from the fire planet, had joined our society too. Did that have to do with his history from his previous home? I didn't care. I wasn't alone. How uplifting it was to discover this fact, after so many times I had agonized over me being so torturous to my society. Though I didn't know if he had told them as much as I had revealed about every souls secret and I didn't dare ask him if it turned out the answer was no. Other questions I didn't hold back.

"Why did he do it?", "Where did he live?", "How did he escape?"…All of these questions flowed out of my mouth as soon as I thought them, only sometimes did I wait to think what he must be thinking which made me stop abruptly but then continue as soon as I recovered my confidence. Of course Ian didn't have the same reaction as I did to Burns.

As I kept up my interest with Burns, after I had gotten over my shyness, Ian seemed to be protective as ever. He never left my side, not like he did it so much before, but this was different. It looked as though he was competing for my attention all the time. I couldn't understand what was wrong with him. Why did he act this way? Did he doubt the love pledge I'd given to him on that rainy day? I paused half a second waiting for someone to answer me; I sighed. I was on my own now. It wasn't quite that easy to remember though. Melanie always had good advice on human reactions.

Since my insertion into this new body she was my good friend but inseparable from Jared. So trying to discuss this with her was definitely out, and I doubted that Ian would leave me alone too.

I sighed again. Ian and I were in line for breakfast, the sun is not up yet so the food will be hot. We had woken up early and had been late so there were very few seats left. Seeing that we had 21 new guests in the cave had been a part of the reason that we were pressed for space, literally. The caves had already been tight with very few rooms, but now having to house 56 people was taking a toll on all of us. Doc had moved out of the hospital and moved in with Sharon and Maggie so some people could sleep there. Still, some had to sleep in the halls on mats, but they didn't complain. This was the reason why Nate and his crew had decided that they were to move out tomorrow and come with us on the raid; supplies was running low and we were on to cave rations again. Jared had decided that to remain inconspicuous Nate and his party were to go separate ways.

I spotted Jamie's dark hair and bright eyes over the crowd. He waved and motioned towards the empty seats next to him and I nodded. After getting my meager serving I towed Ian to Jamie's table. It pleased him to not sit with Burns, since I'd sat with him almost every meal.

"Hey Jamie," I said, approaching the table.

"Hi Wanda, Ian! So Mel and Jared and I were talking about me goin' on the raid tomorrow too," Jamie added before sipping his soup.

My jaw clenched and glanced at Melanie. How could she suggest this? Did she forget that he'd almost died on the last raid he went on?

"Chill Wanda," she defended herself, "I think it would be good experience for him and we will both be there and I highly doubt that he would be using a weapon."

"But what if we got caught?" I retorted. There was no way that he was going to be swallowing that deathly pill.

She simply rolled her eyes and said, "No chance"

I glared at her with raging fury. This surprised me since souls were naturally non-violent, especially Pet. She was probably the exact opposite of what you would expect to be murderous, but I was proving that theory wrong. But then I realized that she probably didn't want to leave Jamie alone and unprotected by a family member or close friend. I sighed and gave up.

"Who else is going?" I asked half-heartedly. I wanted to know who would be an ally for him.

"Um…" she stalled. I crumpled my eyebrows with suspicion, she didn't sound like she didn't know, just that she felt compelled not to tell me. "me, Jared, Jamie, Ian, you, and...Lily."

Mel clenched Jared's giant hand turning the knuckles white.

I frowned, "Ok. It should be good for her to get out." I actually hadn't really seen much of Lily lately. She was becoming good friends with Nate and the others, but I didn't understand it would be so tedious for the others to have her join us on the raid with Nate. Was that why she was going; to say goodbye? That couldn't possibly be it, could it be though? Again, I surprised myself with my un-soul-like behavior, questioning them as if they were withholding a secret. I shuddered remembering one of my tortured memories stolen from Melanie. Unfortunately that one stuck with me. But still, it didn't make sense. Jared wouldn't want a larger party…Oh! That was it…Jared was always so careful. I bet he wanted to change stories and have Lily be a charader, and she was the only one fit since Doc had just recently put Smooth on her scar. I smiled to myself. Deception with humans was getting easier and easier. Soon I would be able to see through some of their lies…

Ian interrupted my thoughts, "So I guess we have some work in the eastern fields today."

"Yep! Should be fun," I perked. Before, when I was in Melanie, I did the harder jobs which did not include harvesting, but now with my bodies limitations I was permitted to do this job. Hopefully I would not need assistance with this one…

Ian snorted, "I don't see why you find it so 'fun', Wanda, it is just like the other jobs-

"That I don't get to do," I retorted. He was oblivious to my frustration with the helpless state I was in.

In my peripheral vision I saw Melanie rolled her eyes and Jared smiled at the table where their hands were linked.

I kept staring at Ian trying to ignore the emotional let down that was depressing me. Why should I be disappointed when I have Ian, so sweet, loving, caring…

Suddenly I smelled something like oil and burned rubber mixed together, and one of Pet's memories instantly jumps at me.

I'm sitting in the kitchen on a bright sunny morning while Cloud Spinners is getting me my breakfast. She usually takes a long time when she's cooking so I swing my feet while I'm waiting for her.

_I smell something funny. _

_Getting up from my chair I run to the kitchen to find smoke rising from the toaster. _

_Cloud Spinners isn't here. _

_Something from the corner of my eye catches my attention, it's red and wispy. _

_It's sort of pretty. I put my hand on it. I scream. It's so HOT!_

I can't put a name to it, but I feel like this usually isn't encountered with souls. Is that what is in the kitchen? Curious, I climb out of the bench.

"I'm going to go get another roll," I say, keeping my eyes down like Mel told me once.

"But you haven't even finished yours yet!" Jamie interjected.

"I think I'm going to go get two, I won't be long," I added.

After unclasping my hand from Ian's I take tiny strides to the kitchen. I walk into the cave next over expecting Trudy in here, but she isn't there.

"Hello?" I call. Someone should be in here monitoring the food…

Once again, straight infront of me this time, I see the orangey, wisp of air. I start moving closer to it slowly. The string of light is bigger this time though coming off as waves rather than a bulb. It's hotter too. The object seems to illuminate the whole cave, even stronger than the flashlights. Moving closer I can see that some of the rolls were absorbed in it. An instinct comes of in me like a siren bell, warning me to do something.

I frown, what can I do? Although I am incompetent of doing something, I still reach out planning to move it somewhere. When my skin reaches it's target I gasp. Startled from the pain it makes, I pull my hand away to late. My finger is burning. It didn't feel like it was burning. It felt like cold heat, but it hurt too much. Finally, I started to scream.

My delayed reaction told me blow it out, but it did not help. The flame is spreading. I collapsed hitting my head hard on metal, and someone came in. I was too gone to notice who it was. They said something, but I was screaming to loud to hear. Mercifully, the pain stops as something cool and thin streams on my skin. I think it was water. I try to think of how to thank them, but the collision on my head claims me to unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Sorry it took kind of long for me to update, but I think my update day is going to be every Sunday at least. Please review!!! I'm working hard so you can have enjoyment, please help me by telling me if you like it or if you don't. **

**Disclaimer: EVERYTHING IS MINE!!.....Except,...ya know....the characters...and the previous plot...and...stuff...**

Setting Sun

Before, when I had awoken after being blacked out, I would hear many close voices and then I would choose to "officially" awake. But this time was different. No one was talking, I couldn't even feel the presence of someone except for a pressure and warmth in my hand. If I listened hard enough I could also make out faint snores near by. I was scared. Why was no one here?...Wait, who was here? My mind was so foggy as it tried to back track. I don't know how long it took me, but somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes had I realized what had happened, and when I finally did, the snores stuttered. This body next to me was probably Ian.

"Ian?" I whispered testing my voice, "Ian?" I was getting louder; I wanted answers.

He shook his head then replied, "Wanda? Are you awake?"

"Yeah, where am I? There was a...fire? There was something on fire in the kitchen!" I tried to warn him.

"Don't worry, Burns got you before he flame could spread," he said stiffly "Doc took care of your arm with heal, but he wanted to wrap it up just to be sure."

"You know that's not really necessary-"

"Yeah, he just has his old habits..." Ian stated trailing off. He lowered his head so that I could not see his midnight blue eyes.

I frowned, and moved my good hand to tilt his chin up so I could see them again. He wrapped his impossibly warm hands around mine. Something was wrong.

"Ian? Are you okay? You seem kind of distracted." I informed him.

He sighed, "It was just really weird. Why did you grab at it?...The fire, I mean," he added when he saw my confused expression, "don't you remember what it is? I know you haven't really been in the kitchen since your...insertion, but I would think you would have remembered what it was."

He was scaring me now. I hadn't really thought of why I didn't know what it was, just that...well...I didn't! My heart was slowly starting to race. Maybe there was something wrong with the body? I had encountered something like this in the spiders. My brain wasn't as fast as some of the others; in search of a solution, I had gone to Weaving Through Minds for help. He said it had something to do with the spiders brain, that perhaps I should switch hosts? But this didn't seem like that.

I said quickly, "Um, I'm not exactly sure. It could have to do with the fact that I'm switching hosts, that some information was lost, or maybe my host really hadn't seen fire before. We don't use it for cooking, we use heated metal. Or maybe the host was damaged."

"Damaged? But that couldn't be right... Didn't Melanie fall down an elevator shaft? There was nothing wrong with her, I bet Pet just didn't-"

He didn't get a chance to finish. Just then, Melanie, Jared, and Burns walked into the room. I smiled and sat up. My awkward gauzed-up hand lay beside me. Ian also, at the sight of our visitors, straightened up, but maintained his close, almost protective, distance.

"Well, you missed one heck of a day Wanda. There was a ton of work to do, and once again you disappoint; you know, I had higher expectations." Melanie teased. She smiled, "No, but really, are you okay? You gave us a scare. Especially Doc, he was having a fit on how to treat your injuries. He's never healed a burn before. Lucky Burns was there."

I glared at Melanie while she said this and then replied to Burns, "Yes, I was very lucky. Thank you very much."

"It was nothing. I am just glad you weren't hurt," he said. We exchanged a smile and the pressure in my hand strengthened.

"**clears throat**" Jared cleared his throat, "Wanda, we know you just were hurt, but we are still running out of supplies. Jeb sent us down here to check if you were still up to go."

"Oh, yeah. I'll be fine. I'm healed." I said.

"Okay then, in that case. We'll be leaving after dark. Burns, you should probably go tell Nate and everyone else, they'll want to say goodbye. I'll just go and tell Jeb." Burns nodded as Jared finished and they both proceeded to leave.

Melanie watched them leave and then sat next to me. We started to talk about where we were going this time. Mel said that Jared planned to go south and go over the border into Mexico. Ian was excited, he hadn't had real Mexican food in a while. Neither had Pet, but I was a little hesitant. She, well, I had little tolerance for spicy food. Slowly, the light in the cave dimmed and we went to get dinner. After all, I had never gotten that second roll.

By the time we met up with Burns, Nate and the other raid members it was dusk, and as we crept out of the caves into our larger cache, we got to watch the sunset. The clouds were arranged in rows of color, lightest to darkest. In the center was a blazing red half-circle I guessed was the sun.

I paused and so did Ian.

"Rather pretty isn't it? It's the one thing that reminds me of my home on the fire planet," Burns said behind us.

"It's beautiful," I stated, "There wasn't really much of a sunset on any of the other planets I've visited except the flowers, especially not on the Mists Planet, but it was one thing that I really missed in my time with the See Weeds."

"Yeah," Ian sighed, "It's one of my favorite things too, watching how the world changes so much in the minute it takes to set."

We all took another moment to admire the sunset, each one of us making our own connections to our home planets. It was rather ironic that one small could connect different people so easily. I giggled, Ian looked at me with a slight smile and raised eyebrows, but I shook my head. He was so amused at how my body gave way so easily to laughing.

We started heading back to our cars. We were taking the van and the moving truck. It turned out that Nate worked for a moving company before the invasion and he had used this and two other cars to raid.

As our groups started to pack the cars, we said our goodbyes.

"Thanks so much for letting us stay here, ya'll really helped us," Nate said to us, smiling.

"You're very welcome," I replied.

"Yeah, drop by anytime," Mel said laughing, you know where to find us.

To my right I see Jamie hugging Nate's daughter, Lyla. She was two years younger, and they had gotten close the week or so they stayed here. They were cute together. As everyone started to head for the buses, I told Ian that he could go, that I just wanted to say goodbye to Burns. He pecked me on the lips, leaving me blushing, then left. I turn to see Burns, saying his farewells to Lily.

When she left, I strode up to him and said, "It was truly wonderful to meet you. To talk to someone who's been somewhere I have not was really...refreshing." I smiled.

"Yes, you have no idea how great it was to see you and Sunny. I was..well..I felt guilty about leaving society. I hope we see each other soon," he replied.

My smile widened when he said this. I gave him a friendly hug. Now, noticing we were the only ones still outside I waved and opened the van door. Sliding in next to Ian, I faced Burns's car to see a flash of red hair inside the vehicle. I gave a little wave while I watched them drive off.

Thankfully, I wasn't driving first, so I put my head on Ian's shoulder and looked out the window. Jared whipped the car around, and I saw the most peculiar thing. The entrance to the caves, which is hidden behind a small ravine and a boulder, flashed a bright, white light blinding my eyes. I was startled and jumped a little.

"Are you okay?" Ian mumbled, circling his arms around me.

"Uh, huh," I said and laid back into him. It was probably just a trick of the light from the sunset; but it was so bright... Sleepy as I was, I didn't have long to think about it.

**A/N:** **Yay! Okay so that's it! Hope it was worth the wait. If it was or if it wasn't, please tell me in a review. I hate to be one of those annoying authors that beg for reviews, but I am. ;) P.S. This is not the ending, case anyone was wondering...hence the mild cliffhanger...**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay, so yeah another chapter... Unfortunately, only a couple people actually reviewed, so for those who did, I have a feeling that Santa Claus will come by and drop something special by your house tonight... :) Don't ask me what it is. Contrary to popular belief, I am not Santa. A special thanks to Chocoville(awesome name) and for your reviews. They are probably the main two reasons I am posting this chapter. Thanks also to Allebasii for your critique! Okay here it is the rocking-sweet-awesome third chapter of Growing Pains...**

**Disclaimer: Not Mine.**

Waiting

I was gently shaken awake from my light slumber by Ian when it was my turn to drive. Declining his attempts to persuade me to sleep some more, I took the wheel. It was nice to drive again, having the van race down the gray pavement. We were all alone on the road except for Aaron, following behind us in the truck, and one car about a mile back. Ian sat next to me and we had short conversations about the raid, whispered of course, because everyone in the back was sleeping. Looking in the rear view mirror I smiled at what I saw. Mel, Jared, and Jamie sat together; Mel and Jared's heads leaning against one another, while Jamie was stretched out at their laps. Lily sat opposite to them, curled into a tight ball.

Redirecting my focus on the road I realized that we were finally arriving at the small, little town where we planned to stay the night before heading further south. I told Ian that I was going to make a stop at the local grocery store so we could eat something for dinner.

Aaron followed me as I pulled into the parking lot of Ingle's and I said, "Be right back."

"Mmm, why are we stopping?" Melanie stirred in Jared's arms.

"I'm getting some food, don't worry, I'll be right back," I said to her.

"Be safe," Ian said as he released my hand.

I rolled my eyes. He really thought I was helpless didn't he? Inside the store, I skimmed through the aisles. Hmmmm, I thought to myself, frozen pizza for Jamie, Deli sandwiches for Mel, Jared, Aaron, and Ian, as for me, I developed a liking for these little pre-made meals called lunch-ables. Usually I had to get at least two to satisfy my stomach, but in this new body they were the perfect size; and for Lily...what did she like? I then realized that I never really had asked her, and her being new to the raids meant I never had to get something for her before. I paused. She was about Melanie's size. I decided to just get her two lunch-ables. I would need to ask her what she liked for future references. After ing the cashier I toted my bag of belongings back to the car.

By the time I returned, everyone was up. Jamie was awkwardly attempting to stretch, but the small size of the car proved to be preventing him from achieving his goal.

After I passed out the snacks, and our stomachs were finally full, Jared and Mel sat up front while Ian, Jamie and I sat in the back; Lily had joined Aaron inn the truck. Now that Jamie had proper room, he had taken the liberty of using over half of the back of the van, which was just fine with Ian and me. We were snuggling in the back, not too tired to go to sleep.

**A/N: Please don't kill me. I know it's a horrible chapter, and for those that actually do follow up with my story, first of all thank you, and second sorry because you deserve more than this. Even though it's really not worth reviewing, I would love it if you did. This story does have a planned plot even though it may not seem like it does. Another short chapter will be coming up this Sunday, so look forward to it!! Until then, … **

**-gretlcascade :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Another chapter. This is also short since my original chapter 3 was really chapter 3 and this chapter combined, but since I got lazy, I only gave you fluff in the last chapter. But this chapter has real plot to it, so yay! Have you noticed my favorite word is "yay"? I have. Thanks to , Chocoville, etc... for your awesome reviews. Also thanks for anyone who added me to story alert/favorite story much appreciated. I also think I had one person add me to author alert/favorite author, so thanks for that too!**

Sleeping

I woke up in Ian's arms, his scorching blue eyes following his hand that was tracing the outline of my arms. When he saw my open eyes, the corners of his mouth twitched into a small smile and he lightly kissed me on the cheek.

"What a nice way to wake up," I whispered, for we were still in the van.

"Hello sleeping beauty," he also whispered, "we're almost there."

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Only about ten minutes,"

"Oh, okay then, I just get ready then," I said sitting up. Aaron, Jamie, and Mel were all asleep. Jared sat in the front, driving the car at a reasonable speed limit I might add. I grabbed a hairbrush and mirror from my handbag.

"Ugh," I groaned softly as I saw my reflection. Ian took the tool from me and started to fix my hair. Closing my eyes, I relaxed and enjoyed the feeling of the gentle tugging on each lock. I let my mind wander.

Sleeping beauty. An image came to my mind of a feminine cartoon character with golden hair, a long flowing dress, rosy cheeks, and red lips. She was recognizable to me because of one of Melanie's memories, who had remembered this character from a fairytale when she was younger. Pet had no recollection of this fragile girl. The story behind sleeping beauty was still a mystery to me though. Melanie hadn't actually seen the movie or read the story, but from the name I could at least figure the obvious out...

My thoughts were interrupted when the car stopped abruptly.

Everyone in the car started. Ian accidentally pulled the brush out of my hair, tangling it even more. I winced.

"We're here," Jared boomed.

"Sorry," Ian apologized.

"S'okay," I said as I ran my hand through my hair, "where exactly are we Jared?"

"It's another bed and breakfast. I'll drop you off at the front but we'll be parked in the back," he said.

"Wanda what happened to your hair?" Jamie asked as he yawned.

"Yeah, since when is bedhead in?" Mel chimed in.

"Because your hair looks so much better," I retorted. Mel had grown her bob out so that now it reached her shoulders.

After I checked us in and told the receptionist that another one of our friends might be joining us later on depending on his schedule, aka depending on whether Aaron could really handle guard duty out in the van, I returned to the car with the 3 hotel room keys. Ian and I walked hand-in-hand beside the others; he was carrying our suitcase. Our rooms were all in a row. Ours was the second. We bid good night to the others and headed into our room.

The room labeled 45 was relatively small. Pale yellow walls made the room look lighter even though it was really dusk. I made my way to the queen sized bed. I laughed. The loud print on the comforter had to be about the silliest thing I had ever seen. Cats in clown suits, bathing suits, and just plain suits covered the spread.

"It's a good thing we're leaving early in the morning. We might have actually had to see that thing in the daylight," Ian joked from behind me.

He tossed the light bag to the side and snaked his defined arms around my thin waist. Sighing contently, I leaned into him then turned around. Starting at his chest, my hands slid their way up around his neck, only then did my eyes look up and see his eyes boring into mine. They now matched the color of the outside world.

I had to actually hoist myself, using my legs, to reach his lips. Before I could get there though, I heard Ian catch his breath. Being caught off guard we tumbled into the bed.

"Ufff...," Ian grunted. He was laying on top of me; I noticed he was heavy but not to the point it was uncomfortable.

I started to cackle wildly which of course caused him look at me like I was crazy.

"What?" he demanded half-heartedly. Eventually he started to laugh too.

"Nothing, I just assumed you knew what I was doing," I explained, "I've never caught you off guard before."

"Well I didn't expect to be attacked..." He mumbled and started to kiss my neck. I couldn't stand it any longer. I rid myself what giggley behavior I still had left in me and brought our lips together. My whole body was blushing when he brought his hands to my hair, reminding me...

I reluctantly pulled away from the kiss and said, "Who is Sleeping Beauty?"

He was again stunned, "Excuse me?" He spat out.

"You know, the girl you compared me to this morning when I woke up in the van? I think she was a cartoon-"

"Character, yeah," he interrupted, "are you seriously asking about this now?"

"I was curious..." I trailed off. He still wasn't seeing my reasoning.

He shook his head and then smiled gently. He rolled us so we were both laying on our sides staring at each other.

"Sorry, that was just so random. But do you mind if we discuss it in the morning? I am actually quite tired," he apologized.

Just the mention of sleep made my body go limp; and his request seemed reasonable. "No need to apologize, it was very out-of-the-blue so to say. I think this body thought of it when-"

Our lips connected in a gentle ever so smothering kiss. This time, he was the one to pull away.

"Goodnight, I love you," he said.

"Love you too," I responded. Ian pulled me closer and placed an arm around me. We were both soon asleep.

Pounding on the door woke me up. I propped myself up using my elbow. My hair was everywhere but I was too tired to care; the clock read 2:49. The knocking continued and I shook Ian awake, who had untangled his limbs from mine during the night and was spread out on the miniscule bed.

"Door," I mumbled, "Aaron was too uncomfortable in the van."

"Let him sleep in the hallway then,"

"Ian!" I chastised him, "please, I would let him in but I'm too cold."

Ian was about to protest further, but decided against it. He walked around to the front of the room and opened the door.

Light came streaming in and I could see what seemed like more than a couple of shadows. Why were Mel and Jared here too? I heard something fall to the ground. They must had dropped Aaron's suitcase or something. I made my way out of the warm bed and grabbed one of the hotel's robes.

Rounding the corner around the bathroom I called, "Ian?"

Suddenly, a figure came out of the bathroom bigger than Ian in all black and covered my silent shriek with their hand. I started to hyperventilate. Forcefully, and almost...my mind wants to say gently but that doesn't fit here, the man wraps a piece of cloth around my eyes but not before I get a glimpse of Ian laying on the ground knocked unconscious. I gasp.

"You make a sound and he gets hurt," the man states.

I make a jerky nod. My eyes water and I think I'm going to cry as the blindfold goes on.

I'm then pushed by a strong pair of hands to then end of the hallway to an alternative exit we used to enter. The cool air of autumn greets me with a stinging bite. I hear the sound of a van door opening that I am guided into. The kidnappers hop in next to me and I feel the outline of another body.

I think to myself _What's going to happen to me? Do they know I have other friends? Oh, Ian! Did they capture you too? __Did they hurt anymore like that man said? Are you... _My heart breaks as I realize all the things that might happen or had already happened. _I'm going to die and leave all the people in the caves without way to a decent supply of food. I'm going to die and not know what happened to Sleeping Beauty! _

This trivial thought almost made me laugh. Here I was, the love of my lives in danger, in a stranger's car driving away from the place with all of my connections and I was worried about a cartoon character...

My internal battle halted when I heard a familiar whisper, "Wanda? Wanda, is that you?"

**A/N: Ooooo.... Now that's a hanger right there. Has anyone noticed that all my chapters start out with Wanda waking up? I noticed that about half way through and had to change her attackers plan(instead of chloroforming her they threatened her) Speaking of which who do you think her attackers are? Seekers? Humans? Another alien species? Brain-washed Polar Bears??? And how about that familiar voice? Any ideas? How about Jamie? Ian? Jared? Mel? Burns??? All of these questions will be answered after you review today and then wait until Sunday!! Did you know I worked during church on writing this? Yeah, that's right. I'm DEDICATED. See you all next Sunday! And don't forget. If you hit the little rectangular button below this writing then you will get a million bucks! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: With another Sunday comes another chapter. I'm happy because it finally snowed here!! Everyone else was getting snow and now we do too! I'm also happy about my reviews. You actually have to click to another page to see all the reviews. Yay! There I go again. Anyways, thanks for those who reviewed. It makes me happy when I go to my email and it says "review alert".**

**Disclaimer: Okay, I knew this would come up so let's get this out there...I AM NOT STEPHENIE MEYER. Therefore, I DO NOT OWN THE HOST, IAN O'SHEA, OR EDWARD CULLEN. Now, are you done torturing me or can I get back to my writing? Good.**

Believable

"Wanda?" a familiar voice asked. "Wanda is that you?"

"Jamie?" I asked as my heart was sinking. It couldn't be him. Anyone but him. I can't fail Jamie..

"Yeah, it's me. They attacked Lily and me in my room first. Man, I'm sorry Wanda! I just thought it was going to be Mel, or Jared, or Aaron or something. But as soon as I opened the door, they ambushed us. I didn't know what to do!" He whispered back, the desperation in his voice growing.

"Shh.. Don't worry. It's not your fault. I thought the same thing..." I pulled him into my arms, trying to comfort him, while I took in my surroundings.

Jamie and I were pushed up against one side of what seemed to be a very large van. There were at least three people, maybe more, from what Jamie described. Outside the vehicle, the men were quietly arguing. You could tell that they were trying exceedingly hard not to raise their voices any louder; I assumed because they didn't want to attract attention, but it was proving to be a harder challenge then some of them thought. If I wasn't so terrified, I might have given way to laughter. Just hearing the level of their disagreement made me realize that they couldn't be souls...and that they could give Lacey a run for her money.

Suddenly the men clad in black hopped into the van, bringing four more unconscious people with them. My breathing became quicker as one of them took a seat beside me. He seemed to have no problem being near me, I, however, cringed away and into one of the other bodies. Still holding Jamie's hand, I started to try and get a feel for who it was.

Deciding to test their body weight would be good. I gave a good push at their side, using all my puny strength to move them. She was lighter than the others and actually moved. This was Lily. Moving to the person next to her, I reached for their neck. My fingers traced along a smooth patch of skin with ridges. Jared. I knew this because even though his scar was now believable, Doc still wasn't able to improve the texture completely. Dread filled me. The invaders had gotten into Melanie's room as well.

A foreign hand moved and slid along my back. I squealed in response. The hand moved to my mouth, it was enormous.

"Shh..I'm just gonna take off the blind fold," a deep Boston accent informed me. His hands were now working at the nape of my neck. Again with the gentleness.

My eyes tore open. The first thing I saw were the other four prisoners. I was correct about Jared and Lily, and accompanying them were Melanie and my Ian. They were toppled on top of each other, laying knocked out. Turning to Jamie I had seen the man with the accent untying Jamie's bandana. There were really five men, I soon realized. Three were in the front seat, two in the back, keeping an eye on us. They were all wearing ski masks. Not one of their eyes hinted of silver. Mixed emotions then entered my system. They were mostly bad.

I felt happy and relieved because they were obviously not Seekers. It wasn't like they were brain-washed polar bears or something, **( ;) ) **they would not take my family or harm our world. But on the flip side, maybe I should have been hoping for Seekers. At least we knew what they wanted, their strategies, their weaknesses. A shot of nervousness traveled through my stomach and every hair on my body was standing up straight as I thought _We have no idea what to do._

I took a deep breath because I was starting to feel light-headed. It wouldn't do me any good to faint now.

"Back up," the other gruff man ordered.

"Wha.. What's going on?" Lily was drowsily coming to.

"Here," Jamie said as he led her to the back part of the van. I followed.

"What's going on? Who are you?" I demanded.

"You'll know soon enough," the man at the wheel said. Just then, he turned the wheel and spun the car, causing us to crash with the centrifugal force. The man with the accent noticed we were all towards the back, and used this opportunity of surprise to pull an opaque divider out from the side wall, locking it into place.

"No," I gasped using my tiny hands to push against the carpeted divider. I shook but surprisingly stuck in place. I dropped my shoulders in defeat. I felt movement behind me and turned around. Ian, Mel, and Jared were waking up.

"Ow...What a headache. Where are we?" Melanie was confused. She had her hand held to her head and was frantically looked around our small quarters. I crawled over to Ian. My hands running over him, making sure he wasn't hurt. As he got up he pulled me close into a suffocating hug, but I didn't mind, this assured me he was safe. Again the rush of emotions filtered their way through my system, but this time it was too much. Tears slowly started to make their way down my face.

Ian must have noticed because he brought me closer, if that was possible, and started rubbing my back encouragingly.

"Shh..." he cooed, "we'll be alright, we'll make our way out of here."

His attempts to comfort me were hardly convincing since he started to slightly shake himself, but I had to be strong. I had to pretend for Ian. I couldn't break down any further, we had enough to worry about. I pulled air out of the surrounding atmosphere and filled my lungs with oxygen.

Jared's fists were pounding against the temporary boundary. "Who are you? What do you want with us?" He yelled. He continued to ask questions like these until he was graced with a response.

"I told you," answered a man on the other side, "you'll soon know. We don't want to hurt you but you need to keep quite."

Jared huffed but was pulled down by a nervous Melanie.

"We don't need any trouble. Besides, we can't think of how to escape in they're sitting right next to us!" She whispered through her teeth. Jared paused but then acquiesced and sat down.

"Wanda, Jamie do you have any idea who these...people are?" Jared said. I disengaged from Ian's embrace and faced Jared. His eyes bore into mine.

I swallowed the lump that had formed in my mouth and croaked, "They're human. Their eyes, I...I saw their eyes."

This information surprised him. I suppose he thought the same thing as me, that this was obviously work of Seekers.

"Are you sure?"

I just nodded and shrunk into Ian.

Lily pipped up, "I recognized one of their voices, I can't remember where I've heard it before but..."

Jamie frowned, Jared and Mel glanced at each other from the corner of their eyes, Ian's hand tensed in mine.

"Maybe before the invasion..." Mel tried to explain for her.

Lily nodded in agreement. Poor Lily. They didn't believe her; though her story was hard to believe, it was possible she heard his voice, or perhaps she had been mistaken. I weakly attempted to smile at her; she caught my eye and smiled back.

**A/N: Hoped you enjoyed it! Sorry about my mild attempt at a joke in the middle about polar bears. I just got so many reviews about them I had a brainstorm in the middle of my typing and thought POLAR BEARS!!! Okay. Other than that, there's not much to say except will you be my Valentine and write a review?? :)**

**-gretlcascade 3**


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